Karyn launched the Dark Skin, Red Lips Project to display the beauty in women with darker complexions wearing red lipstick, after reading Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky’s comments during an interview that sun-kissed women of color should stay away from shades reserved for fair-skinned women. The rapper’s notion was quickly shattered through the images posted to social media using #DarkSkinRedLipProject.

The young advocate carried the torch For Brown Girls to appreciate their beauty from inside and out, while accenting their outer beauty with makeup. Her website is a cause of celebration of “the beauty of dark skin while combating colorism and promoting self love,” she wrote in the website’s mission statement.